In general, the use of beverage dispenser apparatus with heavily sugared powders has been less than satisfactory because of the inability to properly dissolve the sugar. This is particularly problematic in the fast serve environment that the food service industry now demands, for example, restaurants, cafeterias, convenience stores, and fast food establishments. The present invention addresses these concerns.
Various types of beverage dispensing apparatus are well known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,718, 579 entitled "Beverage Dispensing Machine" which issued on Jan. 12, 1988 Brody et al. combines powdered beverage mix containing sugar substitutes such as aspartame and water in a first mixing chamber, provides additional dispersion an solubilization in one or more additional mixing chambers. The mixture is then gravity fed into a reservoir. The reservoir has no additional mixing or stirring capability to aid in the dissolution of the beverage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,488,664 entitled "Beverage Dispensing Machine" which issued on Dec. 18, 1984 to Cleland discloses an add on device for those fruit beverage dispensing machines that are equipped with a tank and a beverage circulation pump. The Cleland adaptation to an existing beverage dispensing system includes a mixing chamber I and storage tank T, a concentrate hopper H using an auger 60 used to supply powder to the mixing chamber, water supply means W providing water to the mixing chamber, a control circuit K which includes liquid level sensing means L including high and low level sensors.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,020 entitled "Apparatus for Producing a Beverage by Mixing a Powdered Base Including Sugar and a Cold Liquid" which issued on Jun. 20, 1972 to Krup show an alternate method of whipping and suspending the beverage. This delayed delivery of measurable suspended beverage results in overruns of the container.
The known prior art has neither achieved commercial success nor disclosed the combination set forth herein.